Aizome (indigo dyeing) has a history of more than 700 years in Japan, with its distinct color often being called Japan blue. If you’re interested in learning more about the practice, then the Ai-no-Yakata, Aizumicho Historical Museum in Tokushima Prefecture is a great place ...

Diorama Kyoto Japan has one of the largest railway dioramas in Japan. With a total length of 2.7 km of miniature railway tracks and 800 carriages, this miniature city of Kyoto should delight anyone with a love of trains. Visitors can watch tiny versions ...

Celebrating its 10th anniversary this August, the Yukata De Guide Tour gives participants a glance into old Edo. The tour will take traditionally dressed guests to an outdoor tea ceremony at Kokugikan Arena, on an evening cruise of the Sumida River, and back in ...

Aqua Metropolis Osaka will make a splash this August, with a vibrant water-filled opening event set against the vibrant backdrop of Dotonbori. For the event, which will be held between the iconic Ebisubashi and Tazaemonbashi on Dotonbori canal, world-famous performers will take the “stage,” ...

Before “talkies,” silent movies used the power of exaggerated facial expressions and body language to tell tales of adventure and love The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, points out that since there is no dialogue, such classics also make great entertainment for children ...

For two days this summer, Yoyogi Park will turn into a Caribbean paradise as people from Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Guatemala, Mexico and many more countries will share their countries and their cultures. Caribbean/Latin America Festival has been held twice since it began in ...

What better way to cope with the scorching summer heat than run around throwing water balloons and squirting water guns? On the two hottest days of the summer, Water Run invites 6,000 people per day to take part in the first water festival in ...

This year, the World Cosplay Summit — an annual event that invites cosplayers from all over the world to compete in a championship — is debuting an All Night Cosplay Fes 2015: Otaku’s Midnight Party at Laguna Ten Bosch resort in Gamagori on July ...

Tokyo Summer Bash, being held Aug. 7, offers the perfect opportunity show off this season’s yukata. If you’re not feeling particularly confident about your yukata-wearing skills, you can drop by the Roccoya Summer Shop at Laforet Harajuku for tips on how to wear this ...

Confident in your chopstick skills? Now’s a good time to really put them to the test by taking part in a sōmen-nagashi (noodle-draining) event. This fun way of eating sōmen (thin wheat noodles) is basically a game in which you need to catch noodles ...

No need to travel across seas to get your dose of tropical vibes this summer. Just hop on a train and go to Aloha Yokohama, the country’s biggest Hawaiian festival. For three days starting on “Ohana Day” (“family” in Hawaiian), accessory stores, food stalls ...

Marine Day or Ocean Day (July 20) commemorates the day Emperor Meiji returned to Yokohama from an imperial tour of northern Japan in 1876. His journey was aboard the Meiji-maru — now the oldest iron ship in Japan and a designated Important Cultural Property. ...

To celebrate this year’s Tanabata Matsuri (Star festival), Japan’s ancient capital of Kyoto mixes traditional style with modern technology for Kyo no Tanabata. The Milky Way, which separates the two ill-fated lovers of the Tanabata legend, is represented here by hundreds of tiny LEDs ...

Plant hunter Seijun Nishihata is putting down roots and bringing 50 types of exotic plants from around the planet to one spot in Tokyo. The line-up includes adenium arabicum, a type of desert rose found in Yemen, and citrus medica sarcodactylis, a yellow fruit ...

Akame 48 Waterfalls, a historical training area for feudal-era ninjas and the pride and joy of Mie Prefecture, is becoming the venue for cool candle-lit evenings during this scorching hot season. The area’s magnificent gorge of rushing waterfalls and pools will be illuminated by ...